GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina have each endured a tough start to the season.

Knox, the Knicks' ninth pick, has struggled to get into a rhythm offensively, but is just 16 games into his rookie year. Ntilikina, the eighth overall pick in 2017, is a 20-year-old whose long-term position remains unsettled and who's also had a hard time getting his shots to fall.

They've each faced outside criticism.

David Fizdale has a message for those critics.

"Give them a break," Fizdale said after the Knicks' practice Friday. "These guys are learning on the fly. Whoever’s criticizing them, let me know how many people can become great at 19 and 20 while they’re being punched in the face and they’re learning it all at the same time. I don’t hear those critics."

Both Knox and Ntilikina are in different stages of their development, and they each have improvements to make. That's an ongoing process, and for Fizdale, it's far too early to make any determinations about them as players.

"My kids come in here and bust their hump every day," Fizdale said. "Our organization, we love our kids. We put our arms around them. We’re in here just trying to get them better every single day. And they’re going to go through struggles. That’s just part of the deal."

Especially early for Kevin Knox

Knox has faced early adversity, including an ankle injury that sidelined him for seven games, and now he's seeing the difficulty of going up against NBA competition day in and day out.

Knox is averaging 7.5 points while shooting 32.5 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from the perimeter.

He spent the early part of the season settling for three-pointers too often, something he's trying to move away from now by putting the ball on the floor and going to the basket.

“I made some shots early in the season, felt pretty comfortable with my jump shot," Knox said. "Every shot I was getting I was just shooting it, but realistically it wasn’t the best shot I could get."

New York Knicks rookie Kevin Knox said he isn't bothered by criticism.(Photo: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports)

The outside criticism doesn't bother Knox.

"Criticism is going to happen throughout everyone’s year," Knox said. "You got superstars in the league who still get criticized their first few games and they do really well in the league. That’s part of people, who you are. As an athlete you’re going to get criticized a lot about your game."

Knox said he only listens to criticism from his parents and coaches, the people in his life whom he trusts.

The 19-year-old was drafted out of Kentucky as a player with high upside, but who would need time to develop.

At the NBA Combine in Chicago in May, Kentucky head coach John Calipari emphasized he believed Knox would eventually become a high-quality NBA player, but is still young.

"Mentally he’s a really smart kid, mature for his age," Calipari said then. "Just physically not that yet. This is a futures league. They’re going to look at him and say where is he in three years compared to him. And you go holy s--t. This isn’t them looking at this guy versus that guy. It’s all projection."

Knox has improvements to make.

He needs to get stronger so he can absorb contact at the rim, he needs to get better defensively and he's still working on playing with a high motor consistently.

But that's all part of his development, which isn't over after just 16 NBA games.

Frank Ntilikina's struggles

While Ntilikina is in his second season, he's also still growing as a player. He's already been a valuable defensive player, but he's been inconsistent offensively.

The 20-year-old is averaging just 5.9 points per game while shooting 33.3 percent from the field and only 25.7 percent from three-point range.

New York Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina has been inconsistent offensively this season.(Photo: Carlos Osorio, AP)

Ntilikina, whose roles have shifted from point guard to shooting guard to small forward at different points, has been scoreless each of the past two games.

He said after the Knicks' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night that he's still working on staying aggressive.

That's part of the improvements he still needs to make.

Ntilikina's playing time has diminished in recent games, though. He was playing 25 minutes through his first 19 contests. In the last four games, Ntilikina has averaged just 14 minutes.

Both Knox and Ntilikina have gone through struggles. But Fizdale said it's far too early for them to face criticism.

"Until you really develop a consistent game and understanding, you’re going to go through those struggles," Fizdale said. "That’s the stage they’re in right now, is trying develop who they are and at the same time they’re playing against top-notch players and having to deal with that as well."